The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Quercus nuttallii, which has been given the varietal name ‘QNSTC’. I discovered my new tree in 2001 as a chance seedling in a cultivated area of a nursery in Oconee County, Ga. This cultivated area also contained other seedling oak trees. The new variety differed from these other seedling oak trees growing in this area by its dense, upright branching habit and consistent red fall color.
The parentage of this tree is unclear. It is definitely a red oak type tree. Representative species include Pin Oak (Q. palustris), or Red Oak (Q. rubra). There are also several related species, including Nuttall Oak (Q. nuttallii), Shumard Oak (Q. shumardii), and Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea). My new tree has characteristics and a history that have prevented making an exact identification of its species, but Nuttall Oak appears to be the closest.
Nuttall Oak, as well as most other red oak types, readily hybridize with one another, and there is a high probability that this tree is a result of a cross between a Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak or some other species of red oak, since Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak overlap one another across much of their range. For example, in Texas, Nuttall is found in the lower Southeast corner of the state, Shumard is located in a wide band covering most of the eastern part of the state, and Texas Red Oak (Q. texana), is the primary tree in the central part of the state east of Dallas. There is also a large swath of habitat between the primary Shumard and Texas Red Oak regions where the predominant tree is a hybrid between Shumard and Texas Red Oak. Hybrids are common and can easily make up a large population of the trees in any given area.
My original tree had been purchased as a 12 to 18 inch liner in spring 1996 and at that time planted in a liner field. All of the purchased liners were grown from seeds. This tree was transplanted to another field in spring 1998 and subsequently discovered by me. In December 2003, it was transplanted to an observation area where it has remained since that time. It is now 9 years old from a seed. The description of this new Oak variety is based on observations of this original tree and of asexually propagated progeny, produced from vegetative propagation that are being grown at a nursery in Oconee County, Ga.
The original tree has displayed characteristics resembling Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak. There is much confusion over the exact identification of this tree, and several experienced individuals have expressed differing opinions. The only consistency has been the opinion that the acorn is generally the most distinguishig characteristic determining the species difference between Nuttall Oak and Shumard Oak. When compared to the above oaks, the acorns on my new tree most resemble Nuttall Oak, which indicates that the tree is most likely a Nuttall Oak or at least has Nuttall Oak as one of its parents. Other physical characteristics of the tree, such as leaf size, sinus depth, or bud features, do not provide definitive answers as to the true parentage of the tree.